It’s a bit of a joke online that Tony Khan promises a new era for AEW after every pay-per-view. But he means it for tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite from Duluth, right near Atlanta.
New, colorful set? Check. New theme song? Possibly, but hopefully we’re all still lighting the fuse.
There could be a new big name making his arrival tonight as well. Possibly one who’s been known to affect the weather with some precipitation? We shall see, but that’s the rumor.
As for what we know is on tap, Will Ospreay, another recent arrival, will be in action against his buddy Kyle Fletcher. Kris Statlander gets a stiff test in the form of former world Champ Riho. And the Young Bucks … excuse me, AEW EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have a huge announcement. Or at least they’ve said it’s huge, we’ll be the judges.
We’re ready to dive in with live updates, so let’s do this.
AEW Dynamite results from Atlanta (area):
(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)
- Tony Schiavone invites Swerve Strickland to the ring to talk about what’s next for him, which ends up as a debate between him, Samoa Joe and Undisputed Kingdom
- Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland def. The Kingdom by pinfall with Swerve handling the whole match; Joe chokes Swerve out after the match and stares down Wardlow
- Renee Paquette wants to talk to Hook, but Chris Jericho stops by and admits he respects him after facing off in the All-Star Scramble at Revolution, which gets him a fist bump of respect from Hook
- Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have two huge announcements but say they’ll make them live in the ring later tonight
- Hook def. Brian Cage by submission to retain the FTW Championship; he’s attacked afterward by Gates of Agony but saved by a bat-wielding Jericho
- A video package reiterates the fact that the tag team titles have been vacated after Sting retired, with a tournament coming up to decide new champs
- Paquette talks to Orange Cassidy and Best Friends, and since Chuck Taylor is still injured, he thinks Cassidy and Trent Beretta should win the title tourney
- Killswitch def. Daddy Magic by pinfall; Daniel Garcia hustles down to prevent a post-match beating, but Nick Wayne also enters the fray and ends up hitting Garcia with Wayne’s World …
- … but as the heels head up the ramp, Adam Copeland appears to chuck Killswitch off the stage, choke out Wayne and chase Christian Cage to the back; Cage throws some poor guy out of an SUV and speeds off, while Copeland says to the camera that this needs to end where it started: Dynamite in Toronto in an I Quit match for the TNT Championship
- Kyle O’Reilly tells Paquette that he’s grateful to be back doing what he loves, but while he has nothing but love for Undisputed Kingdom, he feels like he needs to work his way back on his own
- A highlight video is shown of Sting’s last match
- The Jacksons make their big announcements, and an angry Eddie Kingston finds out who they’ve invited to The Elite: Kazuchika Okada
- Highlights are shown of the Will Ospreay-Konosuke Takeshita match at Revolution
- Riho def. Kris Statlander by pinfall
- Toni Storm says she’ll be presenting the first ever Toni Awards (with an ‘i’ so they don’t get sued) soon, and Mariah May receives her first ever shirt, which is just like one of Toni’s old shirts
- Paquette talks to Stokely Hathaway and Willow Nightingale, who has a match against Riho next week and says she knows she can beat Riho … but also has her sights set on Julia Hart and the TBS Championship
- Darby Allin, Jay White exchange some pleasantries ahead of their match next week
- Julia Hart delivers a warning that is obviously intended for Willow
- The House of Black threatens to literally set Mark Briscoe ablaze Saturday at Collision; Briscoe himself is defiant as he tells Paquette he’ll take on the House all by himself, but Jay Lethal offers his aid and that of Jeff Jarrett
- Will Ospreay def. Kyle Fletcher by pinfall, then has a staredown with Bryan Danielson as the show fades out
What’s next for Swerve Strickland? Samoa Joe and others put in their two cents
A slightly downbeat Swerve says he’s not sure he deserves all the love he’s getting from the crowd. He didn’t get the job done, after all, and Samoa Joe did.
Strickland recalls it was almost two years ago to the day that he signed the AEW contract in the ring with Schiavone. He said at the time he wanted to win championships, but he wonders if not having any is karma for all the terrible things he’s done in the company.
Is he destined to just be a role player? Swerve isn’t sure, as he feels that the crowd in Greensboro was truly behind him for the first time. He doesn’t want to let those people down.
So nothing changes, as Swerve says he’s coming for Joe, and will beat him for that title. That brings the AEW World Champion to the ring, looking like he’s dressed to fight. He says he’s there for a reality check, and wanted to let the people gaze upon an actual champion.
Strickland notes that Joe is ready for a fight, so why don’t they battle for the title right now? The fans like that idea, but it’s quickly interrupted by the arrival of Undisputed Kingdom on the stage.
Adam Cole says the only story worth talking about coming out of Revolution is his group, as Roderick Strong is now the International Champion and The Kingdom are still the ROH tag team champs. The only reason Joe is still on top is because Undisputed Kingdom let it happen.
Cole mocks both Joe and Swerve before saying Wardlow is going to win the world title very, very soon. Strickland thinks that’s funny and drops a hilarious Britt Baker joke.
They end up debating a match between The Kingdom and Swerve and Joe, and while Undisputed Kingdom wants it next week, Schiavone says it’s going to be right now.
Swerve takes down The Kingdom solo, then pays for it afterward
This is “can they coexist?” in a major way. The early answer is yes, as Swerve is cooking after a commercial break that takes place within the first few minutes.
Matt Taven tries to put an end to that by meeting Strickland up on the top turnbuckle, but he fails and Mike Bennett eats a Swerve Stomp. Taven takes the House Call too, and Big Pressure puts him away.
Hey, Joe really didn’t have to do any work, but he’s not happy about it, choking out Swerve from behind while staring down Wardlow, who is lurking on the ramp.
Hook puts Brian Cage to sleep, then gets some surprising post-match assistance
Hook tries to match power with Cage right away, which doesn’t go well for him. Cage looks pretty pleased with himself as he looks for plunder under the ring and pops up with a steel chair. Hook is looking for weapons himself, producing a fire extinguisher and blasting Cage in the face.
A trash can lid is also put to good use before Cage rallies by hurling the champ into the steel steps. Cage tastes the steel himself but catches Hook coming off the top step and pivoting into a powerslam.
Cage thinks he’s lined up Hook but misses and goes hurtling through the barricade as we semi-break for side-by-side ads.
The full broadcast returns in time for Hook to counter an F-5 attempt before taking Cage off his feet with a clothesline and following with a t-bone suplex. A trash can shot has Cage reeling, and that suplex into a metal guardrail set up in the corner probably doesn’t feel good either. Cage manages to kick out of the ensuing cover at two.
A pop-up neckbreaker plants Hook, and Cage continues with a powerbomb and F-5 onto a chair. His cocky cover fails, however, as Hook kicks out.
Cage goes under the ring again and produces a bag full of tacks that he spreads in the middle of the ring. Hook floats over into Redrum only for Cage to back him into the turnbuckles to escape. But the champ finds a handy kendo stick to soften up Cage, who gets suplexed into the tacks.
Hook locks on Redrum and gets dropped into the tacks, but the champ won’t let the hold go, and Cage goes out.
The Gates of Agony attack Hook right after the bell, but Chris Jericho runs down, Floyd in hand, and chases them off.
The Jacksons make their big announcements … and Eddie Kingston suffers at the hands of AEW’s newest signing
Nicholas is mad about Revolution, accusing Sting and Darby Allin of cheating. But he also says no one can take it away from them that they ended Sting’s career, and follows by saying they’re entering themselves in the tag team title tournament.
Matthew takes over and says part of being EVPs is making tough decisions. For putting his hands on referees at Revolution, Matthew says Hangman Adam Page is suspended indefinitely from The Elite without pay. Also, since Kenny Omega hasn’t been “making his dates,” he’s fired from The Elite.
He’s not done, but he’s interrupted by the arrival of Eddie Kingston. He’s got some beef for Nicholas, but he’s ready for a fight. Only the EVPs fight dirty with a low blow, and they’re about to hit Kingston with the EVP Trigger when a coin drop signals the arrival of Kazuchika Okada.
Kingston seems shocked, but he’s even more surprised when he gets a Rainmaker. The Jacksons introduce Okada as the newest member of The Elite, and Okada makes a belt motion to Eddie as he leaves the ring.
Darby Allin has a mountain to climb … but a match with Jay White first
Schiavone calls Darby Allin to the ring to ask him what it will be like without Sting. Allin is emotional talking about helping to give Sting the proper sendoff, and says what’s next is his match against Jay White and then he’s off to climb Mt. Everest. He says there was no chance he’d find a partner to replace Sting and congratulates whoever the next team will be to win the tag team championship …
… but that’s not it, as White (and the Gunns) comes down to talk to Allin face to face. The Switchblade is not too impressed with Darby’s ladder spot, calling it stupid, and he questions what Allin is without Sting. A little lost puppy, perhaps, with no one there to hold his leash.
Just like he didn’t need to jump off the ladder, White says they don’t need to have this match, and no one will think any less of Allin. Maybe Darby would like to hang with the Bang Bang Scissor Gang instead?
Allin mocks White for winning championships overseas but doing nothing in AEW, then whispers something to Jay. White looks like he wants to throw hands, but Allin has Sting’s bat so that’s not happening.
Will Ospreay thrills again against Kyle Fletcher, then gets a visit from the American Dragon
Don Callis joins the announcers to help call the action, and they point out that Fletcher is focusing his attack on Ospreay’s back.
Ospreay is doing better after side-by-side ads, but he telegraphs the Oscutter and is thrown backward by a snap suplex. A sheer drop brainbuster follows, and Ospreay has to hustle to kick out at two.
Callis thinks Fletcher is taking too long to follow up, which allows Ospreay to meet him in the middle of the ring to exchange chops. Fletcher wins that showdown, but Ospreay quickly nails him with several stiff blows. A series of counters leads to a nasty DDT by the Aerial Assassin, but Fletcher dodges the Hidden Blade and hits Snake Eyes into the middle turnbuckle.
A cutter onto the apron is a nasty bump for both men, and more picture-in-picture is here.
More chops are flying when we return, as well as vicious forearm shots. Both men look for Tombstones, but Ospreay emerges on top with a poison rana. Ospreay heads up top, but Fletcher foils that by pushing him down. He tries for a double underhook superplex but sees Ospreay land on his feet. A Liger Bomb is next, but Fletcher kicks out at two.
Fletcher hits a double underhook slam for two, then a Liger Bomb of his own for another near fall. A dazed Ospreay eats a running kick in the corner, but he escapes another superplex attempt and nails the thrust kick. An avalanche poison rana and the Hidden Blade lead to a very close two count.
Both men still have enough left to trade strikes and reversals. A standing Spanish Fly gets two for Ospreay, but neither that nor the Oscutter can win it. Somehow.
Fletcher gets to his knees and waves in his friend, who obliges with a huge Hidden Blade that ends it.
Callis comes into the ring as the two friends are talking, but so does Bryan Danielson, who stares down Ospreay as the show ends.
